El Pasoan Modesto Cartagena Jr., left,
and his wife Alicia, right, are working to get a Medal of Honor for his father,
Modesto Cartagena, center, of Puerto Rico, who served in the 3rd Infantry
Division in 1951 in Korea.

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Hill 206 near Yonch'on, Korea, was heavily guarded
on April 19, 1951, by a well-entrenched and fanatically determined hostile
force, the U.S. Army reported.

But the enemy didn't know they had to deal with one brave American
sergeant, 31-year-old Modesto Cartagena from Company C, 65th Infantry Regiment,
an all-Puerto Rican unit of the 3rd Infantry Division.

With no regard for his own safety, the official Army report states,
Cartagena left his position, charged directly into the devastating enemy
fire and tossed a grenade into the first emplacement, totally destroying
it.

Ordering his men to remain under cover, Cartagena successfully and
singlehandedly attacked and destroyed the second emplacement.

A spry 83 and long retired from the U.S. Army as a staff sergeant after
20 years service, Cartagena lives in Cayey, Puerto Rico. He recently visited
his son in El Paso, Modesto Cartagena Jr., 55. The younger Cartagena said
his dad deserves the Medal of Honor.

"There's more to the story," said the younger Cartagena, who is a retired
Border Patrol agent. "Our entire family has gotten involved in this and
we've received support from the Republican Veterans Committee to get my
dad the medal he deserves."

After taking out the second emplacement, the Army reported, Cartagena
was knocked to the ground twice by exploding enemy grenades. He got up and
attacked three more times, each time destroying an enemy emplacement.

"Finally, an increased volume of fire from the one remaining hostile
emplacement was focused on him (Cartagena) and he was wounded," the Army
reported.

The elder Cartagena said he has only one regret in life.

"I'm just sorry that I'm too old to go to Afghanistan to fight," he
said. "I'd do it all over again, if I could."

Cartagena's daughter-in-law, Alicia, 55, who works at JCPenney in Cielo
Vista Mall, has been doing research on her father-in-law's exploits, searching
the Internet for news about Puerto Ricans in the military.

"When the investigations began to award my dad a medal, it was difficult
to get written testimony because all of the unit were Puerto Ricans and many
of them had limited English proficiency," the younger Cartagena said. "The
officer in charge wrote one account and passed it around for all the troops
to read and sign, instead of getting more individual witnesses."

For that reason, Cartagena received the Distinguished Service Cross,
instead of the Medal of Honor, the son said.

Cartagena's superiors had high praise for his courage, leadership and
initiative.

"Sgt. Cartagena's actions prevented much heavier casualties within my
platoon and I feel that his courage and superior leadership and own initiative
were decisive factors for the accomplishment of the mission of the unit,"
wrote 1st Lt. Reinaldo Deliz-Santiago.

Cartagena's cause has been taken up by the Republican Veterans of Texas,
a statewide organization dedicated to getting veterans involved in Republican
politics and encouraging Republican officeholders to pay attention to veterans'
issues, David Thackston, El Paso County Republican Party secretary, said.

"We want help from both parties," said Carlos Cartagena, a U.S. Customs
Service inspector and grandson of Modesto Sr. "My grandfather deserves the
Medal of Honor."